A Slight Hope That this could be Real
by Tinconlur
Summary: What if the crew traveled back in time without Luffy? A Time travel fic currently a one-shot if you want more chapters let me know! Could rise in rating later on. Be warned, slow updates!
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: A predicament.**

 **I Don't Own One Piece, Oda's doing a pretty damn good job as it is anyway.**

"Join my crew!"

That was the first sign something was wrong, but like an idiot he completely ignored it. The second sign were the ropes binding his arms to the crude cross like structure. The third was the mass of Soldiers primed and waiting with baited breath for the command to fire. All this, however, was unimportant compared to the problem facing him. Quite literally, for standing in front of him was a dead man.

He blinked several times as if doing so would rid himself of the illusion in front of him, it was obviously a trick. As far as he knew no Devil Fruit in existence could raise the dead, but there were many that could deceive the mind, and a few he'd encountered. The best way to deal with these types was to stay calm and search for the source of the trickery, he closed both eyes in an attempt to focus his inner energy ignoring the whining from the imposter and angry cries from the marines. Haki an extension of your will split into three different categories, only two of which he could utilize. Armament which used the power of your will to harden or exponentially strengthen body parts, with the correct training, weapons, and everyday objects. The other 'Color of Haki' as they called it was Observation Haki, projecting an invisible field around you, the range depending on your skill level, that alerted you of anything and anyone that entered allowing you to react accordingly. This was the type of Haki he was currently using.

In a span of time measured by the average person in milliseconds the entire 'imaginary' island was searched shore to shore. To the man's immense disappointment his scouring of the island proved useless, not one devil fruit user excluding the one in front of him. A tugging sensation to his left alerted him of incoming danger. His eyes snapped open swiveling to address the problem, apparently the order to fire had been given the captain, who looked fairly familiar, but then again they usually did when you had fought as many as he had, looking incredibly frustrated. The Marines had always been trigger happy he mused quietly never knowing when to keep to themselves. Had it been anyone else with him in this illusion he would have simply dodged the bullets, however almost scary realism the fruit user had managed to create invoked an almost protective urge within him. The bullet proof skin of this, strangely younger, version of his captain slipped his mind smothered by the smell of burning rubber and parting words. In a flash he had broken through his restraints, dimly recognizing the sound of guns firing and vanishing to the eyes of those watching, he grabbed the three swords from the devil fruit user's arms. Using only one and acting mostly on instinct and adrenaline his arm blurred.

It was over the instant it began each bullet neatly bisected fell to the ground and he sheathed the sword. With a frown he loosened his grip on the hilt confused by the nostalgic spark that ran through his body. No mirage or illusion he had yet faced was this realistic, now that he thought he could even feel a familiar pang of hunger run through his body. Pushing these thoughts to the back of his mind he addressed the confused men holding their weapons in slack grips, shock clearly painted on the faces.

"Leave, and I'll forget this mockery of an execution. Stay and I'll show you a real one." He said projecting his barely restrained bloodlust onto them. To his surprise those that remained conscious fled, and the others fell into sweet unconsciousness not before soiling themselves though. The only one left standing barely holding his composure was the captain, jaw slack and a vein bulging in his forehead, sputtering words of self-praise and halfheartedly calling his soldiers back. Deciding they were suitably chastised he turned back to the young man, no scratch that, two young men giving him their full attention one full of awe, the other of fear.

He studied the imposter thoroughly noticing several differences between this one and the original, specifically the almost innocent look in his eyes less importantly the change of outfit and height difference, after all the eyes were the window to the soul so the saying went. The usual haunted look in them no doubt from the loss of his brother, and the massive war he was forced to partake in were gone. Replaced by childlike innocence and a seemingly boundless curiosity, it was a stark and unsettling contrast. Shaking himself mentally he diverted his attention to the second, and shorter, of the two pink hair, Round glasses, and crying. Yep this was without a that brat the Captain was so fond of, what was his name, Cody, Colby? Coby, ah yes that was it.

How strange, he didn't know whether to congratulate whoever was behind this, or curse them to the lowest level of hell. The massive Marine base standing tall in the background just completed the image. This was one of his fondest memories, not that he'd ever admit it, the day he'd met the Captain perfectly recreated. Now that he thought of it the weakling Marine he'd shrugged off earlier had to be Axe-Head Martin or whatever his name was. If the perpetrator thought this would throw him off, he had another thing coming. No one messed with his mind especially this portion of his memories. It was decided this fruit user would pay the ultimate price.

"Oi you the Bastard who thought it'd be a good idea to play with me! I won't break you hear me, so give it up already!" He shouted to the heavens above him.

Silence.

"Do you think he's insane or somethin' Coby?" The straw hatted boy said frowning slightly, he looked the fabled 'Pirate Hunter' over with his eyes. His weight shifted to his left foot anxiously, "I thought you said he was some kind of strong guy?"

The pink haired boy, Coby, let out a choked sound before whipping his head around to stare at the other, so fast, our swordsman friend wondered how he didn't snap his own neck. "A-Are You insane?! Don't insult him while h-he's right here did you see him block those bullets! He'll kill you Lu- "

Before he could finish the other man hit him lightly on the head, the two quickly dissolving into an argument about how he could take the swordsman easy. The subject of their conversation tilted his head down from looking at the sky watching with an almost soft look in his eyes reveling in the feeling, his eyes focused solely on his 'Captain'. He'd missed this the animated motions and easily provoked temper. You never know how much you need something till it's gone, another saying that slipped into his mind. There's one thing that kept a small almost unnoticeable part of him hoping this could be real, a character trait only his Captain seemed to possess.

"Zoro! Join my crew, and I'll give you a five percent stake in the meat we find!"

"T-That's not how it works, you can't just bribe him!"

Alive or dead, fake or real, Monkey D. Luffy was not someone you could refuse.

 **End**

 **Thanks for reading, this is just a random idea that popped into my head a few days ago. In case you're wondering this is a time travel fic. It could be seen as a One-shot, so it currently is. If people want me to continue just please comment so, there are multiple directions I could take this in.**

 **Also if you wondering about my other fic 'One Piece with a Twist' I have not abandoned it, I've simply hit a major writers block as to what direction in which to take the story. So fear not it will be hopefully updated soon.**

 **Thanks again for reading, please R &R!**

 **Arashi.Z**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: A New Crewmember, or is it Old?**

 **I Don't own One Piece; I would really screw up the story if I did.**

It would suffice to say to at this point in time Nami was thoroughly confused, frustrated, and on the verge of a mental break down.

To say that waking up inside of a strangely familiar office clutching a piece of paper, emblazoned with the symbol of none other than Buggy the Clown, was surprising would be a massive understatement. The last thing she remembered was falling into a peaceful sleep, surprising considering the fact she hadn't slept well since That day, in the Thousand Sunny. She had quickly come to the conclusion that, either an enemy somehow strong enough to slip past their defenses and separate them all from each other had attacked while she was asleep, or the strange misfortune that generally followed the crew around had struck again.

She didn't know whether to feel depressed or proud that she had become so desensitized to this sort of thing, that she was leaning towards the latter option rather than the former. So after performing a quick sweep of her general vicinity, Nami was very glad at this moment she had taken the time to acquire a basic knowledge of Observation Haki, she masked her aura and made a quick yet stylish exit; Ignoring the strange sense of Déjà vu she felt while sneaking out of the tower.

It wasn't hard as most of the Marines were heading in the same direction very hurriedly, and after getting a rough feeling of the average strength level of this base she could actually have taken the whole thing down herself. The one really interesting thing she found was the massive aura out in the courtyard, few people were this strong and she knew most of them on a first name basis. Sadly, though she had not yet delved deep enough in her understanding of Haki to be able to tell a person by the Color of their Haki. But like Usopp always said,

"What you don't know you can't hurt you." Wise words to live by.

So she quickly exited the building through the back entrance and made her way to the small tavern barely two hundred yards from the base. The place was small but homely and the owner was kind, the one thing that irritated her was the perpetual feeling she had been her before. It reminded her, bitterly, of the time when Kuma had separated them waking up in an unfamiliar place surrounded by people she didn't know. At least this time it wasn't lecherous old men, not to say she hadn't gotten a few glances when she walked in but for a woman of her beauty it was to be expected.

She took a sip of the cold beer she had managed to 'persuade' a young man at the bar to purchase her, she was listening with half an ear to him speak giving an occasional 'Really' or a teasing laugh, she reached back tuck her hair behind her ear only to find a distinct lack of it. She was by no means bald, but the nerve of whoever had cut it made her blood boil if she hadn't been decidedly irritated already she was most certainly mad now. Whoever had done this to her would pay dearly in due time.

"Are you OK?" The worried look the man opposite her gave, alerted her to the fact she had let her frustration show.

"Not at all, I'm sorry but I have been feeling terribly down all of a sudden could I perhaps have some space?" A bat of the eye and wobble of her lower lip, she sat alone at the bar. The man, only after inquiring of her health, left very quickly. Men, so predictable.

Nami sighed men really had failed to interest her, after 'He' died. She almost resented him for his impossibly good morals, his passing had left an almost unfillable void inside her. There were methods she had tried, to try and fill it. Dating was the first, it was a tragedy; whoever guessed love would be so hard to find? Sex was the next plausible answer to her problem; yeah it felt good but it just widened the void inside her. The final attempt she made was a return to her previous occupation before she became a pirate (the name Cat Burglar Nami is still feared throughout the Grand Line) this was the most successful try, but in the end she was left feeling empty.

Normally she wouldn't admit it, but she missed her Captain. Something about this strange island she had woken up on, was really attacking her emotions. She chuckled nostalgically,

 _"_ _If he could see me now, I'm sure he'd be saying something like- "_

"GIVE ME MEAT!"

Great, now it's hallucinations. She set down her drink, maybe it was time to lay off the alcohol.

"MEAT! ~ Meat is so good, hey Zoro you're hungry right? I'll cut you some slack and give you three percent of my meat for today!"

Ah, what a realistic hallucination this was…

"Huh? What do you mean 'three percent'?! Didn't you promise me five, you cheap bastard!"

"But Zoroooo… I wasn't in the right plate of mind! If I give you five, I'll be losing two percent of the meat!"

Almost too realistic… her mind could recreate their annoying tendencies really well.

"Plate of mind? What the hell does that even mean. Don't you mean 'State' of mind? I'm really surprised you can even do that basic math, you rubber brained imbecile."

(Zoro had gotten much better at giving out insults. Countless fights with the 'shitty' cook had wizened him in the art)

"… Who cares asshole."

Nami was teetering rather close to the brink of pure fury at this moment, one more thing would push her over the edge at this point.

"Hey I know you you're that pretty girl who stole from Albido!" (Who?)

Pretty? Her rage lessened slightly, after all a compliment is a compliment. Maybe this weird hallucination wasn't so bad after-

"Oi Captain, stay away from that one. Looks just like the witch, I can perceive a swindler with just a glance. She may look nice on the outside but on the inside she's a dirty, cheating, scumbag!"

It only took a couple of seconds to turn the two into smoldering heaps of mush on the ground. She frowned down at the both of them Zoro looked pretty much the same, if just slightly shorter and having regained an eyeball. But the other boy,

"…Luffy?"

Tears welled up in her eyes as the 'ghost' stood up, dusting himself off. She'd give up drinking, stop gambling, maybe even live a penniless life, Nami would do anything for this to be real. Just looking at him, her heart felt slightly lighter. It was as if he was the key to her happiness, the one man who always knew the right thing to say.

"Hmm, do you know me old hag?"

(…)

Nami knew at this moment that she had to be cursed, the universe must really hate her.

 **End**

 **Well, there goes the one shot. Thanks for all the reviews guys, it makes my day to hear that you enjoyed my work! I'm sorry for uploading so late, but college can really interrupt your schedule. I hope you like the Nami aspect of this chapter, she's a really hard character to write. Any criticism is gladly excepted, so please Read and Review! Once again THANKS so much for the reviews and follows guys!**

 **Q.D (Question of the Day)**

 **Q: What is your favorite One Piece ship?**

 **A: Luffy x Robin** **J** **I think it's very underappreciated!**

 **What's yours?**

 **Arashi. Z**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: A Dislike of Silence**

 **Disclaimer: I Don't Own One Piece… I would like to, but not all dreams come to fruition**

Luffy did not like silence, it reminded him of childhood memories he would much rather forget. Like when he was a toddler and his grandfather would leave him alone in an empty, cold, and very lonely house. When his mother had died the place never felt the same. He didn't blame the man, Luffy understood that his Grandpa had responsibilities after all, but that didn't mean he liked being left alone. The worst memory however was that of Sabo's death, he didn't remember much other than yelling, crying, and finally an all-encompassing silence. Dadan and Ace didn't like talking about it very much, neither did he, but maybe it would have been better to discuss it then to leave the pain locked up inside. Ace blamed himself for Sabo's passing, but wouldn't say anything (Luffy had tried multiple times to get him to talk but Ace was rather stubborn). And the bandits were just too emotional to talk to, one of them would always start crying (Especially Dadan). So no one said anything, and the hurt just grew with time.

Now though Luffy had two friends, Zoro and Coby, they were great; even though he'd only known Coby for about a day and Zoro for an hour. Family was great, but Luffy was the kind of guy who would only be satisfied after meeting as many people as possible. He needed a sort of bubble of friends around him, or he would fall into a sort of depression. You see Luffy was kind of traumatized from a couple of things; a childhood of little to no friends, the loss of his brother, and a lack of parenting (Garp didn't count). He was essentially attention starved.

So when an awkward silence descended on the table of four, the orange haired pretty/scary girl had joined them, he knew something had to be done about it. Coby was scared out of his mind (being surrounded by two insanely strong idiots and an easily angered demon girl really killed the average person's appetite for social conversation) and the other two were busy glaring daggers at each other from across the table. The quiet surrounding the group was really killing Luffy's ability to eat, so he did his best to stimulate a conversation,

"S-Sooo… I'm Luffy." That was always a good way to start a conversation, somewhere in the Grand Line he knew Ace was proud of him. The other three broke their glaring/silent crying and turned their gaze to him. The woman in the group was the first to speak,

"Hey L-Luffy," Luffy mistook her hesitation for timidity, but she grew bolder as she spoke, "I'm Nami the best damn navigator you'll ever meet! I like tangerines and money but if you steal from me, I'll kill you." Coby did his best not to wet his pants, when Nami wanted to she could be quite terrifying.

The swordsman snorted, "Don't listen to the witch she couldn't hurt a fly." Within the next few seconds Zoro was proven quite wrong as the personification of Satan seemed to briefly possess the young navigator, giving her the strength to pound him into the ground with ease. He was not down for the count however as he quickly stood up and began a loud and heated argument with the woman. Poor Coby was caught in between and fainted out of terror, unfortunately his bowels choose this moment to give out on him. The whole situation was exactly what Luffy had been looking for, minus Coby's 'accident', so he started laughing. His soon to be iconic smile painted across his face.

 _'_ _Friends,'_ Shanks had once told him, _'_ _are the most precious thing you'll ever have, so enjoy while you can cause nothing_ lasts _forever.'_ Luffy now had three and it was only the first day of his journey, he decided right then that Nami now had to join his crew. It was too bad Coby wanted to be a Marine, because if he didn't Luffy would have most certainly made him a crewmember. He would never interfere with a friends dream; even if he didn't like it. Who liked thinking so seriously though?

So he kept laughing, life was easier this way.

Zoro had noticed rather quickly something was off with 'Luffy', illusion or not he knew his captain like the back of his hand. He had after all spent over seven years with the man. The far off look in his eyes, slight tensing of his shoulders, an overall placid look would settle on him. Back when they had first started their voyage it hadn't happened often, normally only when he was stressed or angry. After Marineford though… he was never the same and Zoro hated it vehemently. If he wasn't trying to discern what had seemed different about the Witch, maybe it had to do with the fact he hadn't seen her in a few years or it could be the illusion was that bad, the swordsman might've tried to start a conversation. The Witch wasn't making it easy either, glaring at him like that made him feel slightly uncomfortable. Briefly he entertained the thought of grabbing Luffy and leaving quickly before his Captain made the mistake of asking her to join the crew, but decided against it (A decision he would come to regret soon).

He pulled himself out of his thoughts as the captain started speaking it was fine until he plastered a horribly fake smile onto his face. He didn't like silence it was a well-known, but unspoken, fact among the crew. He silently cursed the creator of this illusion once again, what a cheap way to attack him using his dead Captain against him?! Whoever this was would pay dearly for this insult, Zoro did not go back on his promises. Before he could step in to rectify the situation the Demon (He had several different nicknames for her not all of them appropriate for this Fanfiction… what's this about a 'Fourth Wall'?) jumped in, quickly introducing herself. He Mentally tuned her out, it was nothing he didn't already know, instead turning his attention to Luffy. The invisible weight that had seemed to rest on his shoulders was now gone, the boy's gaze devoted solely to their future navigator soaking up her every word. He was very easily distracted a quality he enjoyed solely in his Captain, anyone else was just an idiot.

Deciding now would be a good time to intrude he quickly entered the conversation, the quick beating he received was all the Witches fault. He was innocent a victim of a savage and beastly attack that's all.

Damn though, did her punches always hurt this much?

 **End**

 **This was a really quick upload guys O.O. Thanks for all the love guys, as always I'm astound how nice you guys are. You're the best! On a more somber note please don't get used to such a speedy upload. This one was already half done and I had no homework due today. There was a really big power out, however which was pretty cool. I'm going to try to post longer chapters after this one, probably around 3000 words. Thanks to UmbraAurumDragon for bring this to my attention :)!**

 **Q.D**

 **Q: What is your favorite One Piece Arc so far? (Post and Pre-Timeskip)**

 **A: Probably Marineford. Don't get me wrong I hate that Ace had to die! But I really enjoyed getting to see the whitebeard pirates!**

 **What's yours?**

 **P.S: If you have a question you'd like to ask P.M me or write a review, I'll try and fit them into the future chapters!**

 **Arashi.Z**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: A slight scuffle, resolving the misunderstandings!**

 **Disclaimer: I Don't Own One Piece, this is where you insert something witty about disclaimers.**

"Wow…"

Nami watched as the tiny speck disappeared into the distance. It wasn't surprising considering it was her captain, but was Luffy always this stupid? Getting captured and carried off by a bird just a day into their journey was ridiculous.

She breathed a heavy sigh, now that he was gone though she had some time to gather her thoughts and maybe she could make some sense of whatever strange occurrence she had fallen into this time. The peaceful silence was a breath of fresh air; she could already feel herself regaining her thoughts.

"… Wow, I forgot this happened."

Ah, she had forgotten the slightly smarter 'half of Luffy' remained. Nami probably would have asked him very 'nicely' to shut up, if she hadn't processed what he had spoken rather quickly. As far as she knew Shell Town was where Luffy had met Zoro, so for him to have forgotten this had happened…

The statement gave her a rather insane idea, of what kind of situation she, no they, could be in. To prove so however she would have to do some digging and Zoro did not like people asking questions. That much she knew for a fact, before he had joined Luffy, Zoro had a fearsome reputation around the East Blue. So, if her theory happened to be incorrect she would have to be careful of his reaction.

She tossed a glance over at the swordsman, who was now rowing twice as fast in the direction Luffy had been taken. Another clue that her idea was true, before learning Observation Haki he had been useless with directions. Time travel was an interesting theory but one that would take some investigation. Two plans came to mind the first, had to do with memories; the second with actions.

Before the crew, her crew, had disbanded (Long before Luffy had… well…) they had all been forced to have a heart to heart, everyone had spilled the proverbial beans and told their own life story. Luffy had been quite happy, and after the fact everyone had felt, to some degree, closer. Telling your life story to someone else often had that effect.

"So Zoro, where did you grow up?" At times like these when you couldn't know if you were correct, it would be better to keep a cool head and investigate, rather than to go off halfcocked and get straight to the point.

The green haired man looked slightly taken aback at the sudden question a sharp look briefly appearing on his face, before schooling his features and replying,

"What's it to you, witch? If you have something to say just spit it out, that fake smile of yours is annoying me." Breath Nami, breath. The fact he can see right through you is some proof, but not yet conclusive.

"I was just curious. You are pretty much a living legend around here, you know." She smiled passively, knowing that with enough pushing the swordsman would have to slip up somewhere. Zoro snorted and turned his head staring out to the ocean.

"I'm from around here." His response was curt and left the clear impression that he did not want to talk. Nami however was not the type to give up so easily, she attributed her stubbornness to Luffy rubbing off on her. She decided to try plan B: A.K.A get Zoro to show a grasp of Haki. Before they had entered the New World, only Luffy had shown even the slightest glimpse of the strange power. So, if Zoro was to exercise even the smallest amount of it she would know. His ridiculous amount of Haki was technically all the proof she needed, but Nami would rather have Zoro admit it himself. Call her strange all you wanted, she was the type of person who enjoyed a good game after all.

She watched him sharply, waiting for a moment when his guard dropped. With a practiced eye, she quickly spotted a window of opportunity; and without any hesitation flung the small knife hidden inside her skirt (don't ask) straight at his left eye.

He would either dodge or lose his sight (again ironically). It was a huge risk, if she was wrong that she, Zoro, and perhaps their whole crew had mysteriously traveled through time. Zoro would likely be crippled and she would have to reconsider her theory. Anyone else would have discarded such a dangerous gamble and thought of a different way, but Nami loved gambling.

The knife however simply flew through empty air, then like a delayed reaction the boat shook and the waves were thrown back from a deafening sonic boom. The place where Zoro had sat was void, the only sign he'd been there was slightly damaged wood where his feet had rested. Truly only someone whose strength was of the highest caliber, could move so fast and cause such little damage to his previous position.

"Finally, I was waiting for that. Ready to meet your maker, imposter?"

It seemed Zoro was unhappy, maybe he didn't appreciate knives being thrown at him, that is if the sword resting against her neck was any indication. On the bright side, her time-travel theory was correct there was no way the Zoro of this time could move that fast; she would celebrate later if she lived through this.

The suffocating amount of Haki he was currently releasing, made her chances feel slimmer by the second.

 **A/N: I refuse to stop writing not yet!**

The green haired man sighed lightly reaching down and grabbing the oars to row them towards his 'fake' Captain. He'd almost missed situations like this, in reality he was usually just running from Coby's half-assed attempts at capturing him (the poor guy had lost his drive for imprisoning pirates ever since Luffy had died).

Unknown to Nami, Zoro had also been conspiring a plan; not even remotely related to hers however. He had suspected the illusionist had taken Nami's form ever since she had showed back in Shell town. That for sure proved the falsity of this illusion, as he clearly remembered meeting the Witch in O'Brien town? Orangutan town? Wherever that shitty clown had showed up for the first time. Her strange physical strength was also rather terrifying, even reminiscent of her 'true self's' legendary punches. He shivered slightly his mind unwittingly bringing up a memory of the damn Love Cook spending seven days in the infirmary after accidently catching a glimpse of Nami unclothed. The poor man had bruised testicles; Zoro didn't often feel sympathy, but even he had to admit the beating his rival received was a little extreme. Screw Kuma, he'd take Luffy's pain any day rather than receive another of 'real' Nami's beatings, _'_ _Some good things did come with the splitting of the crew after all.'_ he mused thoughtfully.

He was shaken from his thoughts by 'Nami's' attempt at starting conversation. Her obviously fake smile irked him slightly, it seemed however that the devil fruit user was finally making his move. When the man attacked, he would simply end his life and be on with his solitary journey. It was a shame though spending time with the other original three had been nice, he'd enjoyed relaxing slightly for the first time in several years. Even though they both got on his nerves in one way or another he was never at ease without them.

"What's it to you, witch? If you have something to say just spit it out, that fake smile of yours is annoying me." The pathetic attempt at distracting him with conversation would not work.

Her next attempt at getting him to talk was easily shut down as well with a quick, "I'm from around here.". The illusionist was starting to become desperate, he could see it in the slight narrowing of 'Nami's' eye's and her tensed posture. The next move would be an attack he was certain, so instead of waiting it out he decided to bait him. He paused briefly from rowing and stretching out his arms, yawned loudly. The perfect chance for his 'fake' friend to make the killing blow.

Before it had even left her hand he knew the knife was coming. Utilizing the techniques of the CP-9 it was a simple task dodging the attack, life almost seemed to pause as he used _Soru_. Moving at speeds that wouldn't even register to the average person he grabbed his sword, the Wado Ichimonji of course, and with practiced steps walked to the edge of the boat hopped onto it and tight rope walked behind 'her'. With complete mastery of _Soru_ one could move at impossible speeds, however if your eyes can't keep up its useless. One of the first things Mihawk, may he rest in peace, had taught him was to train his eyes to keep up with the speeds that would be common in the New World. Now, several years after he had trained with the previous 'Greatest Swordsman in the World', surpassing the speed of sound and being able to see clearly was a cake walk.

He 'rematerialized' behind 'Nami', and rested the unsheathed blade against her collarbone. Zoro was slightly surprised he had caught him this easily he had expected the illusionist to at least fight back slightly. Perhaps the devil fruit user had not been prepared for his quick counter attack, and so did not see him coming. Either that or he was much weaker than Zoro had thought.

"Finally, I was waiting for that. Ready to meet your maker, imposter?" Surprisingly there was no telltale sign of fear, the imposter sat there grinning. Almost as if 'she' knew something he didn't, Zoro's eye twitched that expression was too life like for his liking. Whenever the Witch had that expression on her face things did not end well, in fact memories of times he'd much rather forget were starting to come back. He needed to end this quickly or he'd be having nightmares of bruised testicles all week long.

"Sanji would totally kill you for this you know, Zoro." She winked back at him, nearly causing him to throw up. "But if you move the sword, and hear me out I'll cut your debt in half."

Tempting, very tempting. He knew that the Witch had been hunting him for the past two years, looking to cash in on that massive debt he owed her. Zoro had to stay strong however, this was just a trick thought up by the illusionist to buy himself some time to escape. He gulped audibly and steeled his resolve,

"Shut up! I know you're some kind of imposter, so don't make empty promises, you bastard!" On the inside he really did wish this was real though, half his debt gone?! 3.5 billion belli was very hard to pay off, considering he only had about two million in his boat. When he was out of this illusion he would go crush that shitty clown of a Shichibaki, rumor had it he was rolling in money. He drew his sword back preparing to deal the final blow and escape this fantasy once and for all when Nami spoke again,

"Wait, Wait, Wait! I can prove its me, ask me a question only I would know. Really, Zoro come on." She scurried back from him putting both hands in front of her in a posture of peace. "I know you probably think this is all some illusion and I'm some sort of imposter. But I really am real, seriously no joke! I have an idea of what's going on, just listen! And if you kill me, I'll haunt you forever you idiot!"

His eye twitched again, 'she' was just as annoying as the real deal that's for sure. It wouldn't hurt him to hear her out however, he'd just kill the imposter after 'she' failed his questions. He wouldn't ask her a question only she would know but instead something the imposter wouldn't see coming. No doubt the illusionist would have done his research about the Straw-Hat Navigator, so he'd have to gauge her answers by her reactions.

"What's Nami's three sizes?"

*slap*

He rubbed his now bruised cheek and nodded internally, that was the correct answer no way Nami would deem that question with a response. Even now he could feel the burning fury from her gaze, so far he had no real reason to doubt her validity, other than her insane strength.

"Hmm, nice answer." Cue glare, "Next question, if Luffy and Usopp were the last men on earth, who would you- "

*slap*

"ENOUGH WITH THE SEXUAL QUESTIONS!"

So far so good, she was doing a very good job answering the questions. So good in fact he was actually starting to believe her. This last question would be the decider though, if she got it right he would have no choice but to listen to her. Something so secret only he, the real Nami, and Sanji would know. He rubbed his other sore cheek and sighed heavily,

"Final question, get this one right and I'll listen to anything you say; get it wrong..." He glanced to his sword, the message was clear as she swallowed hard. "Whether I believe you is up to me, ae you ready?"

She nodded hesitantly, "Yeah, I guess if you keep it decent." She glared with righteous fury, not that Zoro couldn't see a light playfulness in her eyes.

He nodded and gathered his thoughts before asking his question,

"What were Luffy's final words?"

The atmosphere went from lighthearted to somber and dark in seconds, Nami's jaw was clenched tightly and she stared at Zoro any softness in her glare previously was gone. Replaced with cold anger, he didn't falter in his gaze however and stared at her with equal intensity. She opened her mouth almost unwillingly and answered, the answer didn't matter though and he released the invisible tension that had gathered between his shoulder blades. Her reaction had been all that was necessary, the raw emotion in her eyes had been enough. That kind of pain could not be faked.

She had passed.

He sheathed his sword reluctantly, mulling things over in his head. Here he was with the 'real' Nami, she had proven that, and a younger Still Alive version of his captain. They were also somehow stuck in the East Blue, with no explanation whatsoever. He glanced at Nami who was rubbing at her eyes with her forearm. Zoro did feel some sense of guilt for asking such an insensitive question, Nami had taken Luffy's death particularly hard. He reached over and laid a hand on her shoulder, causing her to look up at him,

"Sorry about that had to be sure," His insides churned with displeasure at having to apologize to the Witch. "you said you had answers though, so let's hear them."

She nodded reluctantly,

"Sure, but shouldn't we be going? Luffy will have most likely arrived at Orange town by now."

Luffy… oh shit.

 **End**

 **I'm really, Really sorry for the late upload! I have a good excuse though, midterms in college are the spawn of the devil… I hope you like this chapter, it took me a while to writ and I managed to bring the length up to a reasonable size. Let me know what you think and if you have any criticism, please let me know! Thanks for all the advice guys; I'm so happy you're enjoying the story so far. If you like the story or have some idea's, please review! I'm still leaving a lot of stuff in the dark, but fear not everything will be answered along the way! THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO FOLLWED/FAVORITED THE STORY!**

 **Q.D (Question of the Day)**

 **Q: What's your favorite One Piece character?**

 **A: … I kinda like everyone, but if I had to choose probably between Luffy, Ace, and Aojiki (his devil fruit is so cool!)**

 **What's yours? :)**

 **Arashi.Z**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: Little Interactions, and a slight change**

 **Disclaimer: I Don't Own One Piece, I Like It Though…**

"Hehe, we had no idea you were the famous Pirate Hunter Zoro."

The three men laughed nervously sweat dripping down their bruised faces. Nami shook her head exasperatedly, they should have known better than to mess with an irritated Zoro. The two remaining Straw-Hat pirates were now heading straight towards Orange town, the slight hold up they had was behind them, she had yet to share all her thoughts with the swordsman but that could wait for later.

An opportunity to redo a task was rare, but a second chance at life?!

With Luffy still alive? Hell, yeah she'd take that offer any day.

"Oi, Nami," Zoro was sitting down his posture relaxed and a deceptively peaceful look on his face, Nami knew otherwise however this whole time-travel thing probably had his head spinning. "when we get to Luffy don't say anything." He shot her a critical look, as if challenging her to defy his 'order'.

She didn't like taking orders especially from a brute like Zoro, however she understood where he was coming from. To tell Luffy that they were from the future, and had magically showed up for no apparent reason, would be a complete turnoff for him. Their captain did not like spoiled surprises, and while he most likely would not send them away his excitement for their adventure would probably decrease slightly.

With a huff, she raised her hand and attempted to flip her hair back, she was once again irritated by her frustrating lack of hair and resolved to grow it out sooner this time around. Settling on folding her arms across her ample chest she replied to Zoro,

"Humph, no need to tell me idiot. Don't put me on your level of intelligence." She looked haughtily off to the side exerting the perfect air of an insulted princess. The nagging voice in the back of her mind remarked that she'd probably been spending too much time with Vivi, but she ignored it. With one eye, she peeked at him, catching the slight smile and the almost fond look in his eyes. At least she knew she wasn't the only one who had missed their banter.

"I kinda… maybe, missed you." Nami muttered quietly, truthfully it had been quite a while since she had seen the lazy swordsman. Him and Sanji had practically disappeared after Luffy had died, she'd had at least some sort of communication with the other members of the crew; the remaining two in the monster trio had perhaps blamed themselves for Luffy's death. _'_ _They were so stupid'_ she thought unconsciously tightening her grip on her arms, _'_ _Luffy's death was on only one man…'_

Any fond thoughts were immediately banished from her head when he shot her a knowing smirk,

"Hoh, what was that? I couldn't hear you something about missing me, was it?" She felt a burst of anger, before calming herself and responding with an overly innocent smile.

"Sorry, but was I mistaken who owed who 3.5 Billion Belli Zoro-kun?" He stiffened and dropped the subject immediately, his debts clearly worth more to him than the minor confrontation.

They spent the rest of the boat ride quietly simply enjoying each other's company, both lost in their own thoughts. Nami especially, constantly she imagined different scenarios what if during their scuffle the future had been changed and Luffy had been killed by Buggy? She shook her head lightly, that thought was just ridiculous there was a better chance of Luffy going on a meat sabbatical than that ever happening. The clown was just too damn weak, not to mention dumb. But still there were other ways Luffy could be hurt, what if Akainu showed up, Blackbeard, Lucci?! (Later Nami would feel slightly embarrassed she had forgotten to simply check on him with Observation a Haki.)

Just as she was about to jump over the side of the boat and swim the rest of the way Zoro, as though he could sense her discomfort, crossed the small space between them and dropped a hand on her shoulder. No other words were needed a quick glance at his eyes and she could see it the same steely determination that had been lacking all the last time she saw him. Previously he had put on a strong face trying to hold onto the faith that Luffy had left them, but as they say 'Eyes are the windows to the soul' and with time his unshakable confidence had been shattered. But here he was smirking in that annoying fashion looking like he really was 19 again and ready to take on the world.

She chuckled and blamed Luffy for the Swordsman's rather sudden change in attitude, her captain always did have a knack for doing the impossible.

OOO

 _Syrup Village, East Blue_

A young man smirked proudly and flicked his abnormally long nose staring down the arriving boat without the faintest hint of fear, before placing the obviously handmade flag into the sand. It flickered slightly in the wind distorting the strawhatted skull's grin, but stayed strong not faltering. The unconscious bodies that littered the beach created an ominous scene, if it wasn't for his relaxed posture one might think the man was preparing for battle.

Sand crunched lightly as another man jumped from the boat he was previously standing on to the beach missing the pulling tide. With steady hands, he flicked open the lighter he held and lit a cigarette, than casually he took a long drag on it. He exhaled quietly ruffling the long blond hair that shrouded his right eye, and savored the moment.

They eyed each other quietly as if deciding who would speak first; the air crackled and snapped as it became saturated with an unholy amount of Haki. Finally, the long-nosed man sighed breaking his gaze and spoke quietly,

"It's been a while, Sanji. I'm guessing cause you're here, you're well… here."

The now dubbed Sanji took another puff on the cigarette, before clicking his tongue loudly and replying,

"You've been busy, Usopp." he gestured to the scattered bodies, "thought it wouldn't hurt to come say hi…"

Usopp highly doubted that was all he was here for but restrained himself from blurting that thought out. Last time he'd seen the cook he'd stolen half his gold and his ship, that was years ago, forgive and forget, right? He decided a more straightforward approach would probably be his best course of action however, and responded with a question,

"So, Luffy?"

Sanji's nod told him his guess had been correct. He couldn't decide whether to sigh or grin so he settled for grabbing his pack and walking towards the boat. Each step filled with trepidation.

They boarded in silence and set off, and the vibes Usopp were getting were not the friendly ones he had expected.

"We are friends still, right? No hard feelings?!"

No response.

"Right?! Sanji you're scaring me… put the knife down please! OW not the nose, NOT THE NOSE!"

 **End Chapter**

 **Wow I'm impressed that I finished this chapter! I really was struggling with writer's block for a while there, trying to figure out where I wanted to take this story. I'm very sorry for not updating though; it's just been a wild past couple of months. Reading your reviews has been amazing encouragement and really is what motivated me to continue! So, THANKS! Lots of exclamation points to show my love and gratitude. Let me know if you enjoy the story please it's always good getting feedback. Usopp and Sanji were kind of a last-minute addition, so let me know what you thought about the interaction between them.**

Q.O.T.D

Q: Who is you favorite A.S.L sibling?

A: In my own personal opinion, they're all great but if I had to choose probs Luffy.

 **REVIEW RESPONSES:**

 **To everyone leaving encouraging responses Thanks so much! You guys are amazing!**

 **CrystalSeker** **: Thanks :) It's very interesting to think of what the Strawhats would be like if they had separated for much longer than the canon 2 years, that's the thought that led me to making this fic so I guess each of them is going to have a significant change to the outlook on life.** **I have a couple things planned hope you continue to enjoy the story!**

 **Anonimous** **: Hmm, I would probably have them all be at the same place coincidentally instead of the ever so popular magic teleportation sequence, then maybe have all the characters read in a random order. Not to hate on other Fanfics, I just don't like that way of doing it.**

 **The voice of all things** **: Thanks so much for the advice! I'm looking forward to writing a specific dynamic in the crew I've thought up it's going to be very entertaining**.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: The unfortunate fall of Buggy**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece… this is getting old**

Nami did not enjoy the strange feeling of déjà vu she felt, as the two time-traveling pirates traversed the winding roads of Orange town. The last time she was here after-all she had attempted to trade Luffy's life for a map; she was incredibly glad that the deal had fallen through.

The tall swordsman next to her lent some measure of comfort though, his powerful Haki blanketing the surrounding area with a warm feeling that reminded her of happier times. She banished they nostalgic thoughts quickly reminding herself that this was a chance to change the past (future?) for the better. Nami cast a quick glance around herself, she had forgotten how ominous the town was, the empty streets sent warning bells through her veteran mind; years in the new world having hardened her. Subconsciously she sent out a tendril of Haki to Luffy reassuring herself of his safety, idly Nami wondered if Zoro was doing the same.

She would not deny being slightly frustrated that her Captain had apparently foolishly underestimated Buggy. The stupid clown should have been a piece of cake for the young rubberman, but the boy always did have a problem with ignoring the obvious danger. She promised herself she would beat some commonsense into him this time around, she clenched her fist dangerously; one way or another.

(Zoro felt a brief chill run down his spine and stared fixedly away from the orange haired witch.)

The silence was beginning to feel unbearable; perhaps she had misjudged how far they had grown apart. Nami knew though that if this whole fix-the-past thing was going to work old differences would need to be set aside. So, with that in mind she hounded her mind for a suitable topic of conversation. Her mouth spoke before her brain could catch up, an annoying habit she had though was long gone.

"S-So, those are some pretty nice swords… where'd you get em?" A small part of her died as the words exited her mouth; her only hope was they didn't sound as forced as she thought they did. The incredulous look her companion sent her affirmed they did. In fact, they were apparently so forced he didn't even deign her with a response. Apparently, the younger side of her took that as a go-ahead and continued speaking.

"Nice eye, really fits well with the rest of your, eh… face." Weak but usable, "Is it nice? having two eyes again, I mean."

For a moment, his lack of response and furrowed brow had her thinking she had touched on a sore topic, and she was about to backtrack when he replied slowly and carefully.

"It's nice. I've lived so long without one that at first it was rather startling the benefits simply having a second eye could give." He thought for a moment, "I guess two is really far better than one."

Nami probably would've asked another dumb question if they had not at that very moment arrived at their destination. She looked up at the tall building and smiled slightly at the close proximity to Luffy, had she been thinking deeper she probably would've wondered at the rather large amount of affection she felt towards her captain, she most likely would've rationalized it by saying, it had after all been several years since she even seen the man much less enjoyed his company. So, with determination she walked up the steps a giddy feeling welling up within her.

 **xxxxx**

Zoro was quite frankly annoyed.

If this whole save time-travel thing was going to work out there would need to be a serious cutback on the amount of walking and an increase in available booze. The way his crewmate skipped happily beside him did little to help his worsening mood. To stave off the frustration he idly played with the hilt of his sword, fantasizing how easy it would be to send the annoying clown bastard straight to hell.

"Who the hell are you?!"

The shrill screech dragged him from his thoughts and he sighed in relief as the sight of Buggy and his annoying crew, told him he had reached his destination. With the practice of someone who had done this a thousand times he scanned the rooftop quickly finding Luffy, who was once again locked in a steel cage, and evaluating how best to handle the situation.

If he worked fast, he could be down for a nap in another five minutes.

Luffy grinned as he caught sight of them, unknowingly sending a tinge of painful nostalgia through his two crewmates.

"Zoro, Nami! Shishishi, I was worried you guys wouldn't show up," He flipped his emotions in an instant and started pouting, "this clown won't even share his meat."

Zoro smirked at the childlike attitude of his much younger captain, and couldn't really resist the urge to join in; screw being mature.

"Oh, which one? They all look like clowns to me. Especially the dumb one with the red nose, is he the cabin boy?" Buggy's eye twitched, and Luffy lost it in uproarious laughter. Zoro would've kept going if he had not conveniently realized the ticking 'time-bomb' known as Nami who was seconds away from exploding.

Her hands were clenched trembling to her sides, and her eyes shadowed by her hair. The rigid posture of her body spoke volumes of her anger. After years of living with the girl, he had developed a sort of scale to measure the strength of her frustration. This was a solid seven on the 'Nami Rage Scale'.

A nine was very bad.

She spoke slowly each word backed with a feeling the weight what seemed to be death incarnate,

" **You, you starved him**."

Zoro thought better of correcting Nami, deciding that his life was far more important.

Buggy opened his mouth but hesitated at Zoro's pitying glance, however he ignored it and with the gusto of a former member of the Pirate King's crew shouted.

"W—Well what of it girl! You're n-not the boss of me!" It probably would've been far more impressive if he had managed to stop stuttering before he decided to bluster. His façade crumbled pathetically as he gulped and took several steps backward; the air was beginning to become heavily saturated with Haki and several of his crewmembers had already fallen unconscious.

Zoro quickly turned and ran to Luffy's cage, with a practiced air he sliced off the top and grabbed the boy from within. Luffy unaffected by the Haki, more due to Nami's control then his own strength, smiled blindingly at the witch as they ran by.

"See ya at the ship Nami! I'll let you have these guys!"

Zoro didn't even spare a glance, but winced for the unfortunate members of Buggy's crew as a cheery voice called after them,

"Ok, Luffy! Don't wait up I think I'll be a while, these _clowns_ look like they want to _perform_ for me!"

Luffy laughed as they ran, the houses blurring past them from Zoro's speed. The swordsman simply prayed for the safety of the poor men wincing as their screams filled the town.

"Shishishi, what a bunch of funny guys, Zoro! Their singings not great though…"

Zoro prayed for his sanity.

 **End**

 **I apologize profusely for not updating in such a long while, hopefully you'll find it in your heart to forgive me. I've rushed through the orange town arc and if you hadn't guessed Syrup island won't be too intensive either. Let me know if you guys enjoyed this chapter, next time we'll be seeing a bit more of Usopp and Sanji! Please review guys as well, it really helps to hear your honest thoughts on the chapters!**

 **QotD: If you could have a devil fruit what would it be?**

 **AotD: Any Logia, fazing through stuff would be awesome!**

 **Happy Memorial Day!**

 **Adkop**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: Some secrets are better left hidden and the future begins to change**

 **Disclaimer: I Don't Own One Piece... I'm done with the witty disclaimer thing**

 **Just a quick side note, I'm really sorry for the late update! Unfortunately, things are going to be a bit hectic in my life for a bit, so I can't solidly say that I'll be able to update anytime soon again. However, please don't think that I'm going to abandon this story at all, I have so many interesting ideas planned and I'm super excited to start using them. If, and this is a big 'IF', I ever decided to drop the story I'll be sure to post an author's note letting you guys know.**

 **Anyway, sorry for the random authors note I just wanted to clear things up, without further ado let's get this chapter started.**

 **O-O-O**

Luffy never did like seagulls, and he expressed his distaste of them with a rather creative imagination. Of course, he never spoke ill of them aloud as they were quite vicious, although he wasn't sure how they seemed understand him, so the young pirate would merely glare and think of the tastiest ways of cooking them. It wasn't the most useful past time, but a rather entertaining one nonetheless. Fortunately, there were no seagulls flying around in the dead of night so he was left to ponder his thoughts alone. 

He wiggled his legs over the side of the boat letting them dip in the water, its icy cold feeling sending shivers down his spine. It was a full moon so the light was strong enough that he could see his reflection, though it was distorted by the ripples from his feet. Had this been another night he might have laughed at how strange he looked, but tonight his thoughts hovered elsewhere.

To be honest, he was supposed to be sleeping at this time, his crew were rather strict about his health so much so that it bordered on obsessive. The teen shivered casting a look at the sleeping bodies of his new friends, as though with a simple thought they would awake. He had waited for the two to fall asleep and quietly, being so silent he briefly considered changing careers and becoming a ninja, moved from the tightly packed one room cabin to the tiny deck of the boat.

A part of him was rather worried Nami would wake up and find him not sleeping, then lecture him on the importance of rest for the body. That would not be good, as it would no doubt lead to an irritated Nami and a confused Luffy which was never a good combination. But the primary cause for his restlessness was the nagging feeling that he was being left in the dark. Luffy was certain his new friends were hiding something, although he had only met them about a week ago, the way they interacted with each other – it felt as though they had known each other for years.

Or at least they had known him.

It was the little things that really had him suspicious, for instance when Nami consistently caught him attempting to sneak food from the stockpile, or when Zoro was quick enough to catch him before even he knew he was going to fall. So strange was this, that it aroused a touch of suspicion within the young pirate, one that was so strong no matter how hard he tried he couldn't really shake the uncomfortable feeling of vulnerability whenever he was around them. It was frustrating, after all being the captain meant you were supposed to trust your crew with anything, but here he was withholding himself from doing so.

He frowned, never had the young boy expected having crewmates would be so confusing.

There was a chance though, that they were simply very open friendly people, the frown deepened. That couldn't possibly be the case, they were far too cryptic to be naïve. Contrary to popular opinion, he was not in fact stupid, perhaps a little slow, but he knew when something fishy was up and right now that seemed to be the case. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully; the gesture had seemed to help Ace on more than one occasion when his mind was to cluttered with information to discern left from right. Idly he wondered how his brother was doing, it had been some since he had last heard from him–.

No! He had to stay on track and ignore such distractions.

With a tired groan, he muttered under his breath, "What would Gramps do..." and flopped back onto the boat lying on his back and staring blandly up at the stars.

His grandfather was quite good at these situations, Luffy never could get away with hiding food when he was younger. The old marine had always somehow or other found the stash and eaten it, much to his grandson's chagrin (little did he know it was less due to his horrid skills at hiding things and more due to his Grandfathers equally massive appetite).

Luffy yawned loudly, it appeared that he was far more tired than he had thought. As his thoughts glazed over with a fog of fatigue, he decided firmly that he'd be much better off simply ignoring the whole thing. The childish pirate captain supposed that having secrets was not after all a bad thing, thoughts of his father briefly crossed his mind, but he hoped silently that with time perhaps those hidden things would come to light. Bonds were not built in days and even though it felt wrong he would be patient, these were the first friends he'd ever truly had, that fact was reason enough for him to tread lightly.

With that he promptly fell asleep, snoring quietly his mind filled with endless mountains of meat and adventures of awesome proportions. Had he been thinking clearly, he would have remembered to return to the cabin.

The next morning was not pleasant...

 **O-O-O**

When Nami awoke the next morning both Zoro and Luffy suffered the full extent of her frustration and for the first time, or millionth for the swordsman, learned the true depths of despair. It was after this and when the navigator had regained her calm that the small crew begin lazing about for the rest of the day, waiting patiently for the next island to come into view. Although only two of them truly knew their next destination.

The journey there was rather uneventful in pirate terms and they only really had a small delay in which an unknown pirate crew decided foolishly to challenge them. Neither older members of the crew were interested in dealing with the marauders, feeling rather like adults playing in a child's sandbox, and simply watched quietly as Luffy had his fun.

By watching quietly, they truly meant glaring rather hideously at the foolish pirates daring them to do something stupid. Neither of them had noticed yet but both had already adjusted somewhat to the oddity of being in the past and the smooth almost seamless transition from wizened New World veterans to East Blue rookies was truly a welcome change. The two had not left the Grandline in years and it was nice for a while to enjoy the simplicity of life on the outside.

Honestly both navigator and swordsman were still a little wary of this whole time-travel thing, the thought that they would simply wake up and suddenly be back in the future weighing heavily on their minds. But even this could do nothing to damper their excitement of the coming months. Scattered across the world were the comrades they had been to hell and back with and now without any explanation they would be doing it again.

The thought of exploring new islands and fighting strong opponents excited Zoro, and Nami too though she'd never admit it, more than anything else had in years.

Unfortunately, though, when they arrived on Syrup Island their glorious plans of redoing their adventures hit a snag, one that sent both of them into a silent fury and Luffy into the throes of confusion.

Apparently, their sniper was missing.

 **O-O-O**

"AH, you must be Luffy! Usopp told me all about you."

The girl in the in the pale blue dress grinned brightly enough to outshine the sun, but not the dark deathly feeling of gloom that had settled over the two older pirates. Luffy on the other hand simply grinned back and swallowed another large mouthful of meat.

"What's a Usopp?" He replied ever so tactfully and blinking in confusion, "Do I know you?"

The four were sitting in the large dining room of Kaya's, for that was the girls name, house a massive plate of food resting on the table in front of them, which Luffy was quickly burning through. Nami thought rather furiously that when she saw that lying long nosed bastard she would make him rue the day he went against the natural order of the time-line and Zoro simply smiled rather kindly at the Kaya which spoke of horrors to come that quite possibly were worse that any of Nami's horrid thoughts.

"Oh, how rude of me, I'm Kaya and its less a what and more a who. . . " Her smile dimmed and was replaced with a serene look of peace. Behind her, Merry, who was her butler smiled kindly as well. "He said _you_ might not recognize the name, but..." As if rehearsed Merry handed her a letter at this very moment. "... he left you guys a letter that explains everything!"

She then handed the letter to Nami who sat in between the two boys and, while the other two glanced over her shoulder with interested eyes, she tore it open and read,

 _'Hello my future captain! It is I your glorious subordinate!'_

Nami's right eye begin to twitch furiously,

 _'It is with great regret, that I, the legendary Usopp must speak to you for the first time through writing. Unfortunately, the sea has called to me and with great hesitance I must respond!_

 _No doubt! My friend, that you are horribly confused with all sorts of questions burning in your mind, who is this mysterious seer? How doth he knows me? Is he handsome? He is._

 _But now is not the time for such trivial thoughts, all will be explained when we meet! But for now, to assuage your thoughts and fears know this, I am the seer who can see your future! A demonstration you ask?! I know for a fact that you have arrived on my humble island with two lowly servants, a hideous witch and an alcoholic swordsman!_

 _Pretty damn cool right?_

 _Anyway, with great regrets I must leave now, but we shall meet again soon, come my friend! I will await your arrival at the sea restaurant, Baraite! Come quickly for we have much to discuss._

 _Sail well my friend!_

 _Your glorious subordinate, Yasopp's son.'_

The three pirates sat still for a time, their faces frozen in looks of disbelief. The message having extracted a unique response from each of them. Luffy was quite ecstatic and immediately excited for what was to come. Nami on the other hand was practically boiling in pure unadulterated rage and barely keeping a lid on it for fear of exposing her rather ridiculous, at least in east blue standards, strength. And finally, Zoro simply got up and walked out, the ground shaking very briefly after his departure was blamed on a rare earthquake.

They quickly left Syrup Island dragging with them their captain and happily boarding the Going Merry, which Kaya said was a gift for Usopp saving her life. Then in search of adventure and maybe a tad bit of vengeance they set off for the Baratie.

 **O-O-O**

 **End**

 **Well thanks for reading! If in fact there is anyone still reading this fic, haha. . . I'll try to get the next chapter out as soon as possible but right now my life is extremely crazy so it's getting difficult to focus the important things and write. Look forward to chapter eight sometime in the next six months. . .**

 **Anyway. let me know what you think and by all means feel free to let me know what's wrong with the chapter in a review, it's very helpful. Also, thanks again for all the encouraging people reminding me to update, seriously sometimes I need the encouragement. Sorry about the short chapter but honestly there wasn't much left to cover in syrup island. Usopp and Sanji will in fact be showing up again soon I was originally having a bit of a cameo in this chapter but ultimately decided against it for continuities sake.**

 **On a quick side note anyone else getting super excited for Wano?**

 **I know I am!**

 **Have a good one!**

 **Adkop**


End file.
